


It Was Too Late

by SilverAngel19



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Best Friends, Character Death, Fantasy, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-01
Updated: 2016-01-01
Packaged: 2018-05-10 20:45:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,106
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5600245
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverAngel19/pseuds/SilverAngel19
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dreams are nice. Wouldn't you want to stay in your dream forever? Arthur finds himself in Wonderland, not remembering what he was doing before. Everyone there seems to think he is Alice. Will they help him get back to the real world? Or will Arthur choose to stay?</p>
            </blockquote>





	It Was Too Late

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, dear readers (if there are any, hopefully there will be?) this is my first fanfic and I hope you will all like it. My writing is probably not that good, I apologise for any grammar/spelling mistakes or if the characters are OOC. This is kind of an Alice in Wonderland AU and they won’t be nations. You can consider this USUK if you want, but also can be seen as just best friends. This is a oneshot, so there won’t be anymore chapters after this. Please enjoy reading. :)
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia or its characters, they all belong to Himaruya Hidekaz.

_Beep. Beep. Beep_

  
Everything was white. The walls. The floor. The bed. And on the bed, lay a blonde haired young man.

  
_Beep. Beep. Beep._

  
The only sound that could be heard in this white room was the beeping of a heart monitor.

 

Emerald eyes opened.

 

* * *

“What… Where the bloody hell am I?” Arthur winced as he felt a sharp pain in his back. ‘Did I fall…?’ he thought as he scanned the area. Instead of feeling fear in unknown place, Arthur felt surprisingly calm. ‘Well… this is depressing.’ He thought as he observe his surroundings. Everything was pretty much grey. The sky, the trees, hell, even the grass is grey. It looked like all life was gone and everything was slowly decaying. He tried to remember what he was doing but his thoughts were interrupted by an annoyingly familiar voice.

  
“Holy shit! Man, I’m so late, and I promised Kiku I’d have lunch with him!” the voice had shouted.

  
“…Alfred?” Arthur turned towards the direction of the voice but only saw a head of blonde hair and a familiar cowlick before it disappeared.

  
“Hey… hey! Wait, Alfred! Alfred, stop running!” Arthur shouted and ran after him.

  
After what seem like an hour (he has no idea what time it even is) of running, he was totally out of breath. He stopped running and rested his hand on his knees then sat down on the ground and panted for breath.

  
“That… stupid… GIT. Wait until I get my hands on him, making me run this much…” he huffed and leaned on a tree. He had already lost Alfred at some point, he might as well rest awhile. As he was about to doze off, he heard his voice again.

  
“I’m late, I’m late! Don’t eat without me man! That would be so uncool!” Arthur stared wide-eyed as he saw Alfred running to him. He managed to grab his arm just in time before he ran past him. Alfred skidded to a stop and looked at the person who stopped him from reaching his destination. ‘They were serving hamburgers at the castle! Who dares to stop me from eating my favourite hamburgers!’ Alfred turned to glare at the person.

  
To say Arthur was shocked was an understatement, this whole thing was crazy enough as it is. Alfred’s outfit was rather old fashioned, and he seemed to be holding a pocket watch. But what surprised Arthur was not his choice of clothing, but what was on his head.

  
“Alfred… what on earth is on your head??” he asked Alfred, still having a hold on his arm.

  
_Are those rabbit ears?_

  
“Hmm?” Alfred cocked his head and stared curiously at the person before him. ‘Blonde hair, green eyes and thick eyebrows… could it be?’ He furrowed his brows in thought. Arthur was starting to feel uncomfortable under his scrutinizing gaze.

  
“Um… Alfred?” Arthur said nervously.

  
“Hey, you’re Alice right? Yeah, you’re definitely her. What are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be in the castle already? Don’t worry, the hero will escort the lady to see the queen!” Alfred said cheerfully and took his hand.

  
Arthur opened his mouth to say something, but no words came out. His mind was blank.

  
“C’mon! Wouldn’t want to be any later than we already are! But don’t worry, the hero is here! I’ll make sure we won’t miss lunchtime, they serve the most awesomest hamburgers EVER! Hahahaha!” Alfred laughed and started to drag Arthur to where this ‘castle’ was, only then did Arthur snapped out of it.

  
“Her…? Lady…? What the- LET GO OF ME, YOU WANKER! ARE YOU BLIND? DO I _LOOK_ LIKE A GIRL TO YOU?! And my name is not Alice, it’s Arthur!” he yelled at him and yanked his hand out of Alfred’s hold, offended that he would think he was a girl. ‘I don’t really look like one, do I? ’ he thought silently to himself.

  
Alfred looked him once more and burst out laughing. “Hahaha! Well, that’s no wonder, and here I was thinking, _Wow, this Alice sure is one really manly girl_ , but you were actually a dude this whole time! HAHAHAHA!”

  
‘God… this Alfred is even more of an idiot than the real one,’ he mentally facepalmed at the thought as he looked at the man before him, still laughing. “Why do you have rabbit ears on your head anyways?” Arthur asked.

  
“Oh, these are fake, dude. See?” Alfred said and took the fluffy white rabbit ears off.

  
“Then why do you even wear them??” This must all be a dream… a ridiculous one at that. Arthur pinched himself. He was still here. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, messing it up even more.

  
“‘Cus I’m Alfred F. Jones, the Hero, and the White Rabbit of Wonderland, duh! Kiku said we had to wear whatever according to the character we are, weird, I know. But they’re super comfy, so I don’t mind. Oh, Kiku is the Queen by the way.” He stopped rambling about his ears and looked at his watch. “Woah, I’m LATE! I gotta go, see ya at the party! Bye Artie!” and with that, Alfred ran off leaving Arthur behind.

  
“W-What… no, you got to be kidding me, not again… ALFRED!!” It was stupid of him to hope that Alfred might come back, because he really didn’t. He stood there for a few more minutes before walking to the direction where Alfred had ran off to.

  
Arthur looked down at his feet while walking. “Damn it all, what am I going to do now?” he cussed and kicked a pebble and then stopped. He blinked twice and rubbed his eyes, making sure he was seeing correctly. The grass was green. He looked up. There was a bit of a fog so he couldn’t see clearly but still continued his walk. After walking for a while more, (with much difficulty as it appears that there were some… things in his way) the fog cleared. Arthur gasped at the sight before him. Everything was huge. The grass, which was now green, went up to chest, some even up to his head or more. The flowers were almost like the size of a house, the leaves on the flowers could’ve made the perfect shelters if it were to rain. As scary as it might be seeing how things that were usually so small to humans suddenly seem so big, the sight was certainly _beautiful._ Arthur could see the flowers up close and the dew drops on the petals and leaves reflected by the sunlight made the image looked quite enchanting. He wished he had his phone with him, he would have loved to take some pictures of the scenery. While he was admiring the view, he heard another voice, and oh, how well did he know that voice. A voice of his most hated person. Maybe not as much as that perverted frog but still, someone he hates. He looked up to glare at said person who was draping himself over a giant leaf and lazily waving his arm down at him.

  
“ _Hola, amigo!_ What are you doing here? I heard that there was a party at the castle, are you not invited? Oh, and my name is Antonio Fernandez Carriedo, the Caterpillar of Wonderland! You are Alice, _si_?” Antonio asked with a big smile on his face.

  
‘Maybe he should’ve worn a caterpillar costume and squirm on the ground like the worm he is… I hate to admit this, but I need his help, he’s my only hope to get to the castle. If I could see the Queen, then maybe she would know a way for me to get back to the real world..?’ Arthur grumbled at the thought of asking his enemy for help.  
“Excuse me, Antonio. Do you perhaps know the way to the castle? And my name is Arthur, not Alice, I have an urgent matter to discuss with the Queen but I got lost, I would like it if you could help me.” He said with a forced smile.

  
Antonio hummed in thought. “Well, if you just keep going straight and turn left, you’d probably see a signboard that would give you the directions to the Hearts Castle.”

  
“Oh, thank you so muc-“

  
“Wait, no, I think it was right. _Si, si,_ right. On second thought… it is probably the left. Or maybe you just had to go straight all the way after all.” Antonio said, smirking as he looked at the angry Brit.

  
“Why you little-"

  
“I believe I have given you some directions, _si?_ Please go away now.” Antonio said, no longer smiling.

  
“…I don’t like you,” Arthur said, eyes burning with anger and hatred.

  
“I don’t like you either. I had a strong feeling that I’d hate you since the moment I saw you, guess I was right. You may leave now.” Antonio said with his head held high. The fog had once again appeared. By the time it faded away, Antonio was nowhere to be seen.

  
Arthur harrumphed and stomped off. “Useless git… if only he was a real caterpillar, I’d hope he would get eaten by birds!”

  
He kept going straight until the path he was walking on split into three different ones. His surrounding had also changed. The place was now some sort of pink and purple rainforest. It was also quite dark. It looked like it came straight out of a horror fairytale.

  
Arthur felt as if someone was watching him. He tried to search for any signs of life, but not a single sound was heard. He looked around again and brought his coat closer to him as he shivered. ‘Why is it so bloody cold in here?!’ he could hear his own teeth chattering. There wasn’t even any wind in this place. This place creeped him out so much that he would do anything to get out of here, but then again, he was not that desperate. Yet.

  
_Kesesese._

  
Arthur jumped at the sound and frantically searched for the source of it. “Whoever you are, just come out already! If you aren’t going to be of any help, then sod off!” his mind was too scared to register to whom exactly this voice belonged to.

  
_Kesesesese._

  
He screamed as he felt someone tapped his shoulder. He whirled around and punch the stranger in the face.

  
“OUCH!! YOU _DUMMKOPF_! FUCK, THAT HURT!”

  
“…Gilb-?”

  
“Seriously though, that was one girly scream you had there. The girliest one I ever heard. Even my friend doesn’t scream like that, and she’s a girl!” The man continued to laugh. He laughed so hard he fell to the ground and clutched his stomach. As soon as the man appeared, the eerie atmosphere from before vanished. The forest looked livelier as the sunlight shone through and sounds of nature could be heard.

  
Arthur looked at the man fully. Red eyes wet with unshed tears as he laughed, translucent white hair sat atop of his head. A little bird perched on his shoulder, and with that signature laugh, that man was definitely-

  
“THE AWESOME GILBERT BEILSCHMIDT HAD JUST TOTALLY SCARED THE SHIT OUT OF YOU. KESESESESE!” Gilbert calmed down a bit, but was still chuckling every now and then as Arthur waited impatiently for him to finish.

  
“ _Mein Gott_ , that was hilarious!” Gilbert said as he wiped off the remaining tears in his eyes.

  
“Are you done now?” Arthur looked down at Gilbert.

  
“ _Ja, ja_ , I’m done.” Gilbert smirked up at him.

  
They were both quiet for some time, until Gilbert stood up and began to walk away. “Well, let’s go!”

  
Now that things were more…peaceful, Arthur noticed there was a pair of pink and purple striped cat ears on Gilbert’s head and a tail with similar pattern and colour. ‘How did I not see that?’ “Wait…what?” Arthur stood unmoving.

  
“You wanted to look for the signboard that leads you to the Hearts Castle right?” Gilbert turned back to look at him questioningly.

  
“How… how did you even know that?” Have Gilbert been watching him the entire time he was in this Wonderland?

  
“The awesome me knows everything, kesesese! Now, hurry up or I’m leaving you behind like that rabbit did.” Gilbert said and took a left turn.

  
“So it was the left….stupid caterpillar…” Arthur mumbled to himself.

  
“ _Ja,_ Tonio likes to confuse people, so don’t think that he hates you.” Gilbert replied.

  
“I doubt that he doesn’t. Wait, you mean there were others here before?” he looked at Gilbert skeptically.

  
“Oh, hey this is Gilbird! Named after the awesome me!” He left the question unanswered and gently thrusted the little yellow bird into his hands.

  
“Eh? Oh…” Arthur looked down at the bird, Gilbird chirped and looked back up to him. They both stared at each other. ‘So cute…’ Arthur thought.

  
“Hey, Arthur! If you’re done with your staring competition then let’s go!” Gilbert said with his tail swishing back and forth slowly. Gilbird flew up to settle itself on Gilbert’s head.

  
“R-right… are those fake too?” Arthur pointed to the ears and tail as they started walking.

  
“Mhmm, they are but I can will them to move however I want them to. It’s like they’re a part of me but I can still take ‘em off. They’re awesome, but not as awesome as me, of course!”

  
“That’s interesting…I’m guessing you are the Cheshire Cat since this is Wonderland?” Arthur turned to look at Gilbert but he was nowhere to be seen.

  
“The one and only!” Gilbert proclaimed and slung an arm around his shoulders.

  
“Huh-?” Arthur watched with a baffled look as Gilbert twirled around in front of him and disappeared again.

  
“I can disappear and reappear whenever I want, awesome, right?” Arthur and Gilbert started chatting while walking, sometimes even making Arthur laugh with his jokes. ‘I never would’ve have thought I would enjoy Gilbert’s company this much. To be honest, it was actually quite fun and exciting to explore this place…no matter how frustrating some people could be, they are actually a lot nicer compared to the ones in the real world…’ Arthur’s face had a somber expression as he thought about his life back in the real world.

  
“-So, you just have to meet everyone! I’m sure you’ll definitely enjoy the party, it’ll be crazy! Anyways, here we are!” Gilbert gestured towards the signboard. It had two arrows pointing to the left and right. On the right, it read ‘Mad Tea Party’, and on the left was ‘Hearts Castle’.

  
“So, left it is then. Better go now or they’ll start the party without ya!” Gilbert said leaning on the signboard.

  
“Wait, you’re being suspiciously helpful…is this really the right way? I have a feeling you are close friends with that Caterpillar. ” Arthur narrowed his eyes and gazed at Gilbert accusingly. ‘Even if they are nicer and friendlier, that doesn’t mean they won’t trick me.’ Arthur thought.

  
“And you’re being awfully cynical. It’s up to you whether you believe me or not. So, which way would you go?” Gilbert crossed his arm and rested his head on them.

  
Arthur considered taking the other route but decided to follow the sign instead.

  
“I’ll follow the sign and go left,” with that, Arthur turned his back to Gilbert and started walking without even saying a ‘thank you’.

  
Gilbert watched and waited until he couldn’t see Arthur anymore.

  
“Kesesesese,” Gilbert laughed evilly and changed the signs back to its original place.

  
“Why not meet the madmen and have another party before going to the other one…” Gilbert laughed again and disappeared in thin air.  
The left arrow now read ‘Mad Tea Party’, while the right one was ‘Hearts Castle’.

 

 

* * *

“Why is the place so empty? Is everyone at this ‘party’ already? I haven’t seen a single person after Gilbert.” Right after Arthur said that, laughter…or more like arguments, could be heard.

  
‘WELCOME TO THE MAD TEA PARTY’ was shown on the banner.

  
‘…I knew I shouldn’t have listened to him, the next time I see him I’m going to kick his arse.’ Arthur stared blankly at the banner.

  
“Why, if it isn’t little Alice? Come join us for some tea, _da?_ ” A man with platinum blonde hair and violet eyes said with a cheerful expression.

  
A man with long brown hair tied in a ponytail and a man with shoulder length wavy blonde hair were fighting. ‘Ivan, Francis and Wang Yao, huh…’ Arthur thought as he stared at the scene before him.

  
“…Hello. I’m sorry, but I am not Alice. My name is Arthur.” Arthur introduced himself.

  
“ _Bonjour_ ~ My, aren’t you a handsome thing. My name is Francis Bonnefoy, the March Hare,” he slinked towards Arthur, placing a red rose in his palm and whispered in his ear, “I’m sure you will find your time here with me very enjoyable.”

  
“Bugger off, you perverted frog!” Arthur yelled and hit him on the head.

  
“HEY! THAT HURTS!” Francis cried out. And so they started hitting and fighting each other.

  
“Actually, he’s a rabbit, not a frog.” Ivan pointed out.

  
“I’m not a rabbit! I’m the March Hare! _Ack_ -! Stop pulling on my beard!” Francis cried out and started pulling on Arthur’s hair.

  
“And I don’t care what you are!” Arthur said trying to get Francis’s hands off his hair.

  
“Kolkolkolkol,” Ivan just sat there drinking a bottle of vodka with an amused expression. “It’s fun watching them hurt each other~”

  
“Aiya, you all are so childish. Why not calm down and have some snacks, aru? I made them myself!” Yao said holding a plate full of dumplings.

  
Arthur and Francis stopped only to shout a single ‘NO!’ before continuing their fight, Ivan chuckling softly as he was entertained, but then stood and walked up to them. The two of them stopped what they were doing and turned to Ivan.

  
“As much as I love to watch you two fight, I’m sure Arthur here came to us for something. So I suggest for the both of you to stop this, _da?_ ” Ivan said, and although he was smiling, he gave off a dark aura.

  
“U-Uh… _o-oui. Mon ami,_ please sit here.” Francis stopped the fight, pulling out a chair for Arthur and laughed nervously, still staring at Ivan.

  
“R-right…” Arthur stuttered and sat down on the chair that was pulled out for him.

  
Everyone was silent as they sat in their respective seats. Ivan being at the head of the table, Arthur to his right and Francis next to him, while Yao was on his left. “Well then, let’s properly introduce ourselves! I am Wang Yao, the dorm mouse.” Yao said.

  
“You already know who I am, but I will introduce myself again. My name is Francis Bonnefoy, and I am the March Hare.” Francis, for once, actually looking serious.

  
“And I am Ivan Braginski, the Mad Hatter.” Ivan said and smiled at Arthur.

  
The three of them looked at Arthur as if they expected something. Arthur looked confused for a moment before blushing, embarrassed. “O-oh! Sorry… ahem, my name is Arthur Kirkland, and I…I’m not Alice, but everyone who saw me at first seemed to think so.” Arthur muttered the last part quietly while looking at the plate of scones placed in front of him. ‘Had that always been there?’

  
“I see…if you are not Alice, then why are you here? This is Wonderland, we have already known everyone, and everyone seemed to think you’re Alice, who you do in fact look like. But you said your name was Arthur. So then, Arthur, what are you doing here? You seem like a very nice person, so I’m sure you wouldn’t hurt anyone here.” Francis could be heard disagreeing in the background, but Yao shut him up. “You don’t seem to know anyone here either…if you were really Alice, you would have already recognized us.” Ivan stared intently at Arthur as he said all that.

  
“…I am not Alice, and I am not from here. And I actually do recognize you all, you’re just… different, than the ones in my world, much friendlier, actually. I was going to see the Queen at the Hearts Castle, but I turned the wrong way and ended up here. I was hoping the Queen could help me return to my world. I had thought all this was just a dream, but I didn’t wake up… I’m still not sure, this just seem all so surreal. Please, will you help me get to the castle? Would the Queen even help me…?” Arthur asked, looking at the three of them.

  
“Of course the Queen would help! Kiku is very kind, he’ll try his best to help you. He’ll definitely help especially if you are a friend of mine.” Yao smiled reassuringly at him.

“Before we go, why not have some snack? It’ll be such a waste not to eat them, I’ve prepared a lot, so eat up, aru! This is a tea party after all.” Yao said and poured a cup of tea for Arthur.

  
“Friend? I am your friend..?” Arthur said to himself said softly, holding the cup of tea and taking a sip from it.

  
“Do you not consider us as your friends, Arthur? If it’s because we just met, then let us talk more! Hmm, conversations, conversations…” Francis hummed in thought as he pondered on what to talk about.

  
“How about you tell us of your life in your world?” Ivan suggested.

  
“Yes, you should tell us! We would like to know.” Yao said and handed him some dumplings.

  
“Well… I guess there’s no harm in telling. Thank you, Yao.” Arthur took the dumplings and ate them.

  
“What is your family like?” Yao asked.

  
“Ah… well, my parents passed away in a car accident when I was four, and they were always busy with work… so I never really got to see them much. But I do remember that mother would try to spend time with me as much as she could. She was a very kind person. Father was a very strict man, I’ve never gotten to play much outside, he had thought it was a waste of time… my brothers were the ones who took care of me after that, they didn’t do a good job at it though. They’ve all moved out of the country, so I live alone now. They have never treated me kindly, always bullied me too… I’ve had enough of that in school already…” Arthur mumbled the last part to himself.

  
“…you must’ve had quite a miserable life, _mon ami._ ” Francis sighed sympathetically and patted Arthur on the shoulder.

  
“Tch, I am not miserable at all! I’m stronger than you think, you know! I can handle myself.” Arthur crossed his arms and looked away to avoid any of their gazes.

  
The three of them asked more questions, and Arthur answered all of them. In exchange, they also talked about their life in Wonderland. He felt himself being more open to them, letting his guard down little by little the more they talked. He has no idea what compelled him to, but the walls he build over the years to protect himself from any harm emotionally just came crashing down. He didn’t realise that tears were rolling down his cheeks as he spilled out everything to the Mad Tea Party members. His life in school, at home, the way people thought he was crazy and hated him, ignored him, hurt him… everything. And when the subject came to Alfred, he just started sobbing uncontrollably into Francis’ shoulder.

  
“-Some people are scared of me and I don’t even know why! Everyone thinks I‘m crazy just because they couldn’t see what I see, and even Alfred thinks so too! Alfred is my best friend… but we never spend time with each other, he was always with his other friends. And sometimes, sometimes he looks at me… he looks at me l-like how everyone else does! And it just h-hurts so much…” his words were almost incomprehensible as he continued to sob on Francis, wetting his fancy clothing with tears and snot. Francis almost looked disgusted, but seeing Arthur, cheeks flushed, eyes red and swollen as tears wouldn’t stop flowing, he just sighed and rubbed Arthur’s back soothingly. Arthur clutched his shirt tightly and gritted his teeth, trying and failing to hold back his sobs. Ivan and Wang Yao looked at him sadly and tried to comfort him. After some time, his sobs turned into sniffles and hiccups.

  
“Are you okay, Arthur?” Ivan asked, eyes filled with worry and sincerity.

  
“I-I’m fine now….” Arthur spoke so softly that they almost didn’t hear him. Cries and whimpers could still be heard, so they waited until Arthur calmed down before they speak.

  
“Come, Arthur. Have some chamomile tea aru. You’ll feel better.” Yao said pouring the tea into Arthur’s empty tea cup.

  
“Have some chocolate too.” Francis took out some chocolate that seemingly appeared out of nowhere and gave it to him. Ivan stayed quiet, but still concerned about Arthur.

  
The four of them talked for a bit more, telling him about the people of Wonderland and their experiences with one another when they first met. How everyone just started picking fights with each other, but soon became great friends. The way they described it made Arthur smile, and thought how wonderful it would be to live here in Wonderland and make friends with all of them. When the three saw the smile on Arthur’s face, they relaxed more and continued their tea party. The atmosphere no longer tense.   
Arthur really enjoyed his time here, and as they watched the sunset, Francis suddenly cried out “ _Mon dieu!_ We’re late!”

  
They all looked at each other and then stood up abruptly and walk towards Arthur and started dragging him by the arm. Arthur was perplexed by the sudden change and let himself be dragged by them.

  
“Wait…what? Hey, where are we going?” Arthur turned to Ivan for answers, as he was the one leading them to wherever they were going.

  
“To the Hearts Castle, of course! The Queen had invited everyone after all, we have to go. You wanted to go too, or did you forget that?” Ivan looked back at Arthur and smiled teasingly at him.

  
“I actually did… but didn’t it start hours ago?” Arthur couldn’t believe he’d forgotten about the party.

  
“Exactly, but the party lasts the whole day so it’s okay, that doesn’t mean we should miss any more of it. Now hurry up aru! Let’s go!” Yao said and started to run towards the direction to the castle. Ivan following after him.

  
“…Eh?” Arthur stared at the empty spaces that Ivan and Yao stood. “Wha-” Arthur cried out as he felt himself being lifted.

  
“Well, then. We should go too!” Francis said carrying Arthur and started running too.

  
“HEY- WAIT, HOLD ON! PUT ME DOWN!!”

 

 

* * *

Blue roses were placed on a small table beside the bed. A bespectacled man sat on the chair next to the bed.

  
“I’m sorry.”

 

-2 weeks earlier-

  
_“STOP SLACKING OFF AND GET YOUR JOBS DONE! WE ONLY HAVE ONE MORE DAY TO PREPARE!” Ludwig shouted as he slammed his fists on the table. Everyone jumped at the loud noise and scurried off to finish their work. Kiku’s birthday was tomorrow, and the class decided to hold a birthday party for him in their own classroom. They had all stayed back after school to help decorate the classroom, of course, after making sure Kiku wasn’t in school. Some had gone back home to prepare food and drinks for the party._

  
_While everyone else was busy, Alfred just sat in the back of the classroom watching people. Lucky him, Ludwig didn’t seem to notice that he wasn’t helping._

  
_“Excuse me, Feliciano, may I have some of the ribbons you are holding?” He saw Arthur walked up to Feliciano and asked him for the ribbons._

  
_“V-ve… ve!” Feliciano got scared as he saw Arthur approaching him and threw the rolls of ribbons at him before running off and crying out ‘Veeeeeee, Luddyyyyy!!’_

  
_Arthur blinked a few times before sighing and picked up the ribbons on the floor. He was in charge of hanging ribbons on the top of the windows and curtains._

  
_Alfred watched as Arthur accidently bumped into Antonio and got slammed in the shoulder, causing him to fall to the floor. “Freak.” He heard him said. But Arthur just sighed and walked back to the window, climbing onto a stool to hang the ribbons. Alfred thought of his relationship with him. He had said they were best friends, and they were, at least before high school started. They were once neighbours, and they frequently visited each other, until Alfred had to move away. They saw each other again in high school, but after making new friends, he wasn’t as close to Arthur anymore. They rarely hung out. Not that he didn’t want to, but Arthur was hated and ignored in school, while he was one of the most popular guys and was always admired and asked out for dates. They had only hung out when there was absolutely no one in school, and that wasn’t much. He could count the times they spend time together with just a hand. He tried, he really did, but his other friends were always following. Alfred was afraid what others might think of him if he was seen with Arthur, his reputation would be ruined. He had always known Arthur was being bullied and harassed, but never once did he help him. Sometimes, he even watched as Arthur get beaten up by some guys in school. Arthur fought back of course, but he was always outnumbered. Alfred didn’t like seeing him getting hurt over and over again, yet he did nothing._

  
_As he was thinking about Arthur he saw that he was struggling to reach the top, he couldn’t take it anymore. Arthur was his best friend, for God’s sake! He didn’t care what people might think or say anymore. This time, he will help him, and will always be there for him. No longer will he be afraid of other peoples’ opinion. He will be Arthur’s hero._   
_But it seemed that his decision was made too late._

_Arthur was struggling to hang the ribbons, he cussed and blamed himself for not being tall enough. So he stood on his toes and leaned towards the window more. What he didn’t know was that the windows were opened. The curtains were closed, so he didn’t know about the window being opened. Arthur lost his balance and fell forward. He had not registered what was happening to him until he heard screams from the classroom. He had fallen off the window from the second floor of the school building._

  
_The last thing he heard was the voice of his childhood friend, before everything went black._

  
_“ARTHUR!!!”_

 

 

-Flashback over-

 

Beep. Beep. Beep.

 

“I’m so sorry…” the bespectacled man whispered and started crying silently.

 

 

* * *

“We have arrived!” Francis announced, slamming the doors open, Arthur standing behind him. Somewhere along the journey to the castle, he had put Arthur down.

  
“Aiya, you are so slow! We reached here twenty minutes ago!” Yao said as he turned away from Kiku to look at them.

  
“You must be Arthur Kirkland. I have heard much about you. It is nice to finally meet you. Yao and Ivan had also explained your situation to me. I am the Queen of Hearts, Honda Kiku, but you may just call me Kiku. We will discuss about that matter later. In the meantime, since you’re here, please do enjoy the party, Arthur-san. The food and beverages are on the left side of the room.” Although Kiku was the queen he had bowed respectfully at Arthur before walking off to rejoin his friends. Ivan, Yao and Francis went to get some food, leaving Arthur standing there alone.

  
“…”

  
“Arthur!” a tan arm was slung around him and he was pulled into a half-embrace.

  
“… _Antonio?_ ” Arthur stared wide-eyed at him. Because Antonio, was hugging him. He looked at him closely and realised he was drunk. Well, that’d make sense.

  
“I don’t really hate you, you know. Well I don’t like you, but I definitely don’t hate you. And this is a party! Let’s have fun! Come have a drinking contest with me!” He had a dopey smile on his ace as he pulled Arthur towards where the alcoholic drinks were. Arthur didn’t protest as he was still shock that _Antonio_ of all people, was being friendly with him.

  
Before Arthur even got to his second drink, Antonio had already passed out. ‘I wonder how much he had drank before we came here…’ Arthur thought as he looked at Antonio’s drunken form half laying on the couch and the other half on the marble floor. Even when sleeping, he still had that dopey smile on his face. Arthur almost felt like taking a picture of it as blackmail, he grinned wickedly at that thought.

  
“Yo, Artie! You came!” Alfred yelled, waving his arms around, no longer wearing the white rabbit ears. Arthur saw him and walked towards him.

  
“Hello, Alfred.” Arthur greeted him.

  
“Dude, try this hamburger! It’s so good!” Alfred gave Arthur his half-eaten burger.

  
“…Sorry Alfred, but I don’t really like hamburgers.”

  
“What?! How can you not like hamburgers? Everybody likes hamburgers!” Alfred grabbed Arthur’s shoulders and shook him back and forth.

  
“I’ll make you love hamburgers! Now just try it! C’mon, eat it, eat it!” Alfred was now forcibly trying to stuff the hamburger in his mouth. And he almost succeeded. If it weren’t for the interruption.

  
“Ve, _ciao! Ciao!_ What are you two doing? It looks fun!” an auburn coloured hair man with a strange curl on the left side of his head suddenly appeared in between Alfred and Arthur, causing the burger to drop to the floor.

  
“MY BURGER!”

  
The man just smiled and turned to Arthur. He looked confused at first but then his smile widen and bright amber eyes opened. “Ve, you’re Arthur, right? My name is Feliciano Vargas, nice to meet you! I heard about you from Gilly! Are you two friends? Would you be my friend? I love making friends, you should meet Ludwig! Oh, and my _fratello_ too! Ve, do you like pasta? I made some pasta for the party, they’re really good! You should try some! I made different types too, so everyone can choose…” Feliciano continued to ramble on about pasta and wine and girls and Ludwig. Especially pasta and Ludwig. Arthur thought he could wait until he finished speaking, but after 10 minutes and he was still talking about pasta, he decided that was enough. He cut off Feliciano by placing his hand over his mouth.

  
“Mm-mm…mmm?” Feliciano just stared at Arthur with a clueless expression and continued talking even with the hand covering his mouth.

  
“Feliciano!” Arthur called exasperatedly and took his hand off.

  
“ _Si?"_ Feliciano stopped talking and beamed up at Arthur.

  
“Feliciano, are you not scared of me?” Arthur said and looked at him with a serious expression. Not entirely convinced that this Feliciano was not afraid of him at all. The real Feliciano was, after all.

  
“Ve? Why would I be?” his amber eyes shone with curiosity and honesty.

  
“A-ah…well,” Arthur stammered.

  
“Ve, that’s my _fratello!_ Lovi, Lovi! Let me introduce you to him!” Feliciano said, holding his hand and pulling him along.

  
“Hey guys! I’m still here, you know! Argh… never mind. Artie, I’ll look for you when you’re dome meeting everyone!” Alfred yelled before running off, probably to find more hamburgers.

  
“Loviiiiiiiiii!”

  
“Eh? What do you want, Feli? I thought you were with that potato bastard.” The man crossed his arms and scowled at him. He looked nearly identical to Feliciano, save for their hair, eyes, and personality. Instead of auburn, his hair was a dark chocolate. His eyes were hazel, tints of green and gold could be seen when light reflected upon them. He also had that strange curl, but on the right side of his head. While Feliciano was all cheerful and friendly, this man was grumpy and rude.

  
“Arthur, this is my _fratello!_ We’re twins! He’s the older one, and I’m the younger one. Come on, Lovi, introduce yourself.” He chastised gently at his brother.

  
“…Ciao, _bastardo._ My name is Lovino Vargas, and I’m this dumbass’ older brother.” Lovino said with an annoyed expression.

  
“ _Fratello!_ That’s mean!”

  
“Like I care.” Lovino rolled his eyes, but Arthur didn’t miss the small smile and how his eyes softened when he looked at his brother.

  
“Ve, I’ll get Ludwig! You two wait here. Lovi, be nice to him!” Feliciano said and skipped off to find Ludwig.

  
“…”

  
“…”

  
“So… you’re Arthur, huh-?”

  
“You really love him, don’t you-?”

  
Both of them said at the same time.

  
The two looked at each other before looking away.

  
“Ah…yes, I’m Arthur.” Arthur replied and shifted awkwardly. After some time and Lovino still hadn’t said anything, Arthur tapped on his shoulder to get his attention.

  
“Chigi! What do you want, bastard?!”

  
“S-sorry! Um…” Arthur moved his hand away from his shoulder so quickly as if he’d been burnt.

  
“N-no… I’m the one who should apologise. I was just thinking. So… yeah, sorry…” Lovino said, crossing his arms. His head was bowed down and he was pouting.

  
“…about your brother?” Arthur considered changing the subject but decided to risk it.

  
“…si. Even if he’s an idiot, he’s still my _fratellino._ ” Lovino said as his eyes searched for his brother. When they found him, a fond smile appeared on his face.

  
“…even with that attitude and temper of yours, you are a very kind person at heart.” Arthur smiled softly, imagining having a brother like that.

  
“Eh? Sh-shut up, you bastard…! I’m not nice.” Lovino looked away and blushed at the compliment. After that, they were silent again.

  
“Ve, guys! This is Luddy!” Feliciano walked towards them, pulling along a buff looking man. Gilbert following behind the two.

  
“ _Hallo,_ I am Ludwig Beilschmidt, the King of Hearts. And you must be Arthur Kirkland, Feliciano told me about you.” Ludwig has blonde hair and blue eyes. And he was tall, almost as tall as Ivan.

  
“Yes, yes I am. Feliciano has also spoken much about you. He must be very fond of you.” Arthur said and shook the outstretched hand.

  
“Luddy and Kiku are my best friends in the whole world!” Feliciano proclaimed and stretched his arms wide.

  
“And you already know me! I am the awesome Gilbert! We may not look alike, but Ludwig here is _mein_ little _bruder!_ Kesese!” Gilbert said ruffling Ludwig’s neat blonde hair, messing it up. Ludwig just grumbled and fixed his hair back. Even though Gilbert was the older brother, he was shorter and his frame was smaller compared to Ludwig.

  
“Well, you’re here now. I’m off. _Arrivederci,_ bastards! Now to find that tomato bastard…” He saluted at them lazily and walked off to find the ‘tomato bastard’.

  
“Hey, Gilbert?”

  
“ _Ja?_ ”

  
Arthur walked up to him and punched him in the face.

  
“OWWW, NOT AGAIN!! Damn, you can pack a punch!” Gilbert exclaimed as he rubbed his now sore cheek.

  
“Hmph. That’s for tricking me.” Arthur said and looked at him smugly.

  
Gilbert was about to fight back when Ludwig stopped him. “You deserved that, _bruder_.”

  
Gilbert huffed. “Fine! I still wish to smack that smug look of your face.”

  
“ARTIIIIEEEEEE!!”

  
Arthur didn’t have time to turn to look who the attacker was, but he recognised the voice anyway, before he was glomped from behind, and fell to the floor. Since he fell, the attacker fell too. On him.

  
“Ugh, GET OFF ME, YOU GIT! You’re heavy…” It was hard to breathe with Alfred on him, his weight was crushing him.

  
“HAHAHAHA! Sorry, dude!” Alfred got up and helped Arthur.

  
Arthur groaned as he felt himself being lifted off the floor and into a hug.

  
“There! An apology hug! You’re okay now, right? You didn’t hit your head, did you?” Voice happy but eyes laced with concern as he continued to hug Arthur while stroking his head softly.

  
“Yes, yes. I’m fine, Alfred.” Arthur sighed, the hand on his head felt nice, and returned the hug.

  
“Yay! Come on, I’ll show you around! I’ve been to the castle many times. Let’s go to the Hearts Garden first!” Alfred stopped hugging Arthur and pushed him towards the garden.

  
“Ve, it’s so cute that they’re such good friends already.” Feliciano said, smiling, eyes now closed. Ludwig and Gilbert just stared at him before walking off to drink some beer, leaving Feliciano to look for Lovino.

 

 

* * *

“The roses are beautiful.” Was the first thing Arthur commented on when they arrived at the garden. He knelt down to the rosebushes and gently stroked one of the roses’ petals with his finger.

  
“Hmm… you like roses?” Alfred went to squat down next to him.

  
“Yes, I love roses. Especially the blue ones.” Arthur said, admiring the roses in the garden. He had a gentle smile on his face, his eyes that sparkled like brilliant emeralds, softened at the beautiful sight of the rose garden.

  
Alfred gazed at Arthur in wonderment. Never had he seen such a serene look on his face. Since the first time they’d met, he had only seen him with a grumpy expression. Alfred liked that look on him. He wished that Arthur would always have that expression on him. When Alfred first saw Arthur when he grabbed his arm to stop him from heading to the castle, he had thought the man looked a bit lonely. He could see the immense sadness hidden in those forest green eyes. That sadness seemed to have dimmed a bit when he saw him at the party. Alfred wanted him to be happy. And so he decided that he should be his friend. His best friend.

  
“Are there blue roses in Wonderland? I’ve seen many types of flowers, in different sizes and colours that would be considered unnatural in my world. Roses too, but I have never come across a blue one.” Arthur asked, trying to recall if there were any blue roses during his time at the pinkish-purple rainforest and the field of gigantic flowers.

  
“There are, actually. But they are rare here.” Alfred replied, trying to remember where he had seen any blue roses. He glanced at Arthur again.

  
“I see…” They were both quiet again. It was really peaceful here in the garden, away from the noises of the party. And that peacefulness was broken in mere seconds when Alfred hauled him off his feet and threw him over his shoulder.

  
“Hey-! Bloody hell, put me down! What is with you people not letting me walk on my own…?!” Arthur cried out and hit his fists on Alfred’s back.

  
“Hahahaha, you’re fun to carry around. And dude, you should really eat more! You practically weigh nothing!” To prove that, Alfred shifted Arthur from his shoulder and threw him high up in the air.

  
Arthur gasped at the sudden action and screamed. ‘I’m going to die.’ Was what he was thinking when he felt himself being thrown almost ten feet off the ground. Only to be caught in Alfred’s arms as he dropped down.

  
“My God… I thought I was going to die! You stupid git!” Arthur rasped out, petrified, and clung to Alfred.

  
“You’re as light as a feather, man! Here, sit down here!” Alfred set Arthur down on the smooth edge of the fountain.

  
“Stay here, kay? I’ll be back!” with that, Alfred ran off to the castle entrance.

  
Arthur blinked, confused. He looked up at the heart-shaped clock on the castle walls. 8:00. He sighed and played with the water from the fountain. He swished his hands back and forth and watched as ripples formed. After some time of doing that, he looked back at the heart-shaped clock. Fifteen minutes. He got up and wandered off to explore more of the garden. The fountain was placed in the middle, and rosebushes surrounded the whole garden. A round stone table and matching seats were placed on the far right of the garden under a big willow tree with pink and red heart-shaped leaves. The grass were a mix of dark green and maroon. The hearts symbol was a dark pink and carved on the grass in front of the fountain. Stone paths led to a gazebo on the left side of the garden. He decided to wait there instead. He sat down and checked the time again. Thirty minutes.

  
“This isn’t some joke now, right…? He can’t possibly just abandon me here, especially when I don’t even know the way back to the party…” Arthur muttered to himself.

  
Another ten minutes have passed and Arthur decided he would just find his way back to where the others were. He got up and dusted himself and began to walk away from the garden.

  
“Arthur!”

  
“Huh? Alfred?” Arthur turned to look at Alfred who was running towards him.

  
“Hey…sorry… sorry I‘m l-late…! Whew, it took me a long time to find it!” Alfred panted out, leaning on the gazebo.

  
“Idiot! Do you know how long I’ve waited? What were you even doing?” Arthur huffed and crossed his arms.

  
“Arthur… close your eyes.” Alfred said and took his hand into his.

  
“What-?”

  
“Just trust me.” Alfred smiled down at him, baby blue eyes held such tenderness that he’d never seen before.

  
“…Fine, you git.” Arthur closed his eyes and felt something being placed in his hand.

  
“You can open your eyes now.”

  
Arthur opened his eyes and found a blue rose delicately laid on his palm.

  
That single blue rose held an ethereal beauty to it. Its sapphire blue petals had tints of silver as the moonlight shone down on it. It looked as if the rose was glowing. Arthur was captivate by the beauty of the rose but then realised there weren’t any thorns on it. He looked down to Alfred’s hands and saw that they were bleeding.

  
“Alfred! Your hands!” Arthur placed the rose carefully in his pocket and inspected Alfred’s hands.

  
“It’s nothing, man! Just a few scratches!” Alfred held up his bloody hands.

  
“Nothing, my arse! Come here, let’s get it cleaned. We’ll go back to the castle to bandage them.” Arthur instructed and led Alfred to the fountain. He took out his hand embroidered handkerchief from his pocket and wet it with some water from the fountain, then gently dabbed it on Alfred’s wounds.

  
“You idiot… why’d you do it?” Arthur asked as he tended to Alfred’s wounds, feeling guilty.

  
“Don’t make that face, Artie. Don’t you like it?” Alfred took the rose out of Arthur’s pocket with his free hand and placed it behind his ear.

  
“Hahaha! Maybe you can be Alice now!” Alfred teased.

  
“You wanker… don’t do that. And of course I love it, but you still didn’t have to do it.” Arthur sighed and took the rose off, twirling it.

  
“Well, then, think of it as a token of friendship.” Alfred said, smiling brightly, and took the rose off Arthur’s hands.

  
“Token of… friendship?” Arthur asked, surprised.

  
“Mhmm! I like you, Arthur. I wanna be your friend. I’ll be your hero! And if you accept this, we’ll be best buds forever! Wouldn’t you like that?” Alfred said and bent down on one knee, presenting him the blue rose, waiting for him to say something.

  
“Oi, just get up already! This looks like a marriage proposal…” Arthur blushed and lightly hit him on the head.

  
“Hahahaha! I always wanted to do that pose! So, whaddya say?” Alfred stood, only to sit back down next to Arthur, still holding the rose out.

  
“…I’d love that, Alfred.” Arthur said and accepted the rose, turning away to hide his tears. Tears of happiness, of course.

  
“Great! Now you’re my best friend and we’ll do so much together!” Alfred cheered and pumped his fists into the air.

  
“Right, right… now let’s get back to the castle. We still have to bandage that hand of yours.” Arthur quickly wiped his tears away and stood, holding his hand out.

  
“Okay, Artie!” Alfred followed his example and stood, taking the hand.

 

 

* * *

After fixing up Alfred’s hand, they went back to the party in the great hall and ate their late dinner, while everyone else was just relaxing and chatting up with one another. Later, when they’ve finish dining, Alfred gave Arthur a tour of the Hearts castle. Not even halfway through the tour, and it already took two hours. That’s just how massive this castle was. On the way to the next room, they bumped into Yao, who had been sent by Kiku to look for them.

  
“Aiya! Do you know how hard it is to find you two? This castle is way too big aru!” Yao kept complaining about the castle being too big, leaving Alfred and Arthur to just listen to him.

  
“So you were saying that the Queen wanted to see us…?” Alfred asked after Yao finished.

  
“ _Da,_ I agree. This castle is huge.”

  
“ _HYEEEEKKK!!!"_

  
The three of them jumped and screamed at the sudden appearance of Ivan behind them.

  
“IVAN! What are you doing here?” Yao asked after calming his way too fast-beating heart.

  
“Well, I thought you might need some help. But it seems you have already found them.” Ivan said, smiling innocently, as if he didn’t just scare the three of them. And so, Ivan, Alfred and Yao started conversing (arguing) with each other.

  
“Well, Kiku wanted to see me? So, let’s go now.” Arthur said walking away from them. He was started to get a headache listening to them.

  
“Okay, let’s go! Let’s go! Artie, wait for me!” Alfred chased after Arthur, followed by Yao and Ivan.

 

 

* * *

When they reached the hall, all noises quieted down, and loud chatter turned to hushed whispers. Kiku and Ludwig sat on their thrones with Feliciano beside them.

  
“Arthur-san, please come forth. I have something to ask you.” Kiku beckoned Arthur over. With that, the crowd began talking again. Arthur was bemused by what was happening, but stepped forward anyway.

  
“ALL OF YOU SHUT UP AND STOP WHAT YOU’RE DOING FOR TWO MINUTES!!” Ludwig shouted and slammed his fists on the sides of his throne.

  
Everyone froze and went silent. Alfred took out his pocket watch and began counting down. Kiku nodded his thanks to Ludwig. “ _Arigatou_ , Ludwig-san.” Ludwig nodded back. Kiku glanced at everyone else in the room before settling on Arthur, mouth set in a thin line, expression serious.

  
“Arthur-san, you know you don’t belong here, but you will always be welcome here by everyone. I can allow you to stay if you wish. It is your choice to choose to stay or not. Now then, what would it be?” Kiku said and waited patiently for his answer. The crowd waited in suspense for his response.

  
‘Should I stay? I have nothing back there in the real world… nobody would miss me. In here, these people are my friends… sure, we’ve insulted and fought each other before, but I had so much fun. They called me their friends, they don’t think I’m crazy and they’re not scared of me.’ Arthur looked up to all the faces that were staring at him. Their eyes shining with hope and anticipation that he would stay. He looked at Kiku, and he smiled at him, expression understanding. Kiku knew he needed time to think, and waited calmly for him to speak. Arthur turned to Alfred. Alfred… In here, Alfred was his best friend, he’ll always be there for him. Alfred loved him here. He won’t be lonely anymore. His time here in Wonderland was his happiest. And so he made his choice.

  
“Queen of Hearts,” Arthur started. “I choose to stay.”

  
Soon after he said that, the crowd erupted in cheers and applause. Kiku smiled sadly as he watched everyone went up to Arthur and hugged him, laughing and cheering altogether.

  
“Arthur, you’re really staying! I’m so glad!” Alfred ran up to Arthur and hugged him, spinning him around in circles. Arthur laughed and hugged him back.

  
‘It was your choice. I won’t force you to change it.’ Kiku watched fondly at Arthur and the people around him for a while more before standing up, and cleared his throat. He waited for everyone to be silent and then announced.

  
“Then, I, the Queen of Hearts, welcome you, Arthur Kirkland, to Wonderland.”

 

 

* * *

“Ugh… what is that noise? Is it morning already?” Alfred groaned and shifted in his seat, then looked out the window. The sky was still dark.

  
3:00 AM.

  
Those were the brightly coloured numbers on the digital clock that glared back at him as he looked at the time.

  
“Why the fuck am I up at this time? What woke me up…?” He glanced at his surroundings and realised he was still in the hospital.

  
“I must’ve fallen asleep. Wait… was Arthur awake? Was that what woke me up?” He hurriedly turned to Arthur with a big smile on his face, ready to greet him.  
That was when he started waking up from his half-asleep state, and his brain started working.

  
He opened his mouth. But instead of a greeting, he screamed.

  
“No… no, no, no! Oh my God… THIS CAN’T BE HAPPENING! HELP! HELP! I NEED A DOCTOR!! PLEASE!!!” Alfred ran out the corridor, screaming for help. Then realised his idiocy and went back into the room to press the button to alert the doctor.

  
“Please… someone save him…” Alfred whimpered. His face was pale and he was so scared that his whole body was shaking.

  
The sound that woke him up was the flat tone of the heart monitor.

 

 

* * *

 

  
He was always too late. Late to hand in his assignments. Late to arrive at school. Late for soccer practice. Late for making decisions. Late for not being there for him. Late for being his hero. And late for saving his friend.

  
And he regretted it so much. That he couldn’t save Arthur from falling.

 

\---

 

“How is Arthur?!” Alfred immediately asked when the doctor came out of the room.

  
“I’m sorry. We did all we could. But his heart had stopped for too long.” The doctor said, looking at him sympathetically, the nurses sending him sad looks.   
And then the doctor said four words that would forever be etched in his mind.

 

It was too late.

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Finished! Cliché, I know. I got the idea of falling off the window from the anime Sunday without God. I had to search up what room was it that they have in castles, and found out it was called the great hall, where the people would dine and relax and stuff, not sure it was right though. But, oh well. Also, I’m assuming you all know what the words mean, so I don’t need to translate them (you are Hetalia fans, after all! :D). Arthur chose to stay in Wonderland, so it means in the real world, he lost his will to live. He had been in a coma for two weeks. Yeah… that’s about it. Hope you guys liked it. :)


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